One Dress, Five Outfits: Making The Most of Your Summer Staples

Hey Cats,

Buying clothes is fun, but it can certainly add up. Aside from the odd handbag, coat or pair of boots that will last us years to come, most clothes we buy are far from a good investment. Due to changing weather, changing styles and sometimes changing body shape/ size, most of the things we buy don’t last long at all. So it makes sense to shop smart and be able to really get the most out of our clothes.

No one wants to feel like they’re in the same pieces all the time, but if you go about it in the right way, each item of clothing can give you a huge number of different looks. Take a simple dress for example. Next time you shop sundresses, choose a piece that’s comfortable, flattering and relatively plain in design. This gives you ultimate versatility to dress it up and down in a number of ways. Here are some ideas.

1.Casual Summer Day

A sundress with a pair of sandals, a floppy hat and sunglasses make for the perfect summer’s day outfit. Something lightweight, flattering and easy to wear is just what you want when the weather is warm. Keep it girly with a floppy hat, a piece of statement jewelry and a tote bag.

If you want to go for something a little more cool and edgy, why not wear your summer dress with a pair of converse, a denim cropped jacket, a baseball cap and a rucksack? It’s a completely different look and feel to the previous outfit, but you’ve still used the same dress.

3. Smart Casual

Perhaps you’re off to the cinema, or out to lunch with the girls and want to dress it up a bit. A jacket with a pair of boots and some jewelry would do the trick. Go a little heavier with your makeup and spend some time on your hair and you certainly won’t feel like you’re not dressy enough!

Off on a date, or to a bar with friends? Team up your summer dress with a pair of heels, a blazer, some jewelry and a clutch, and you can easily take it from day to night. Your shoes, accessories and the way you do your hair and makeup really do make all the difference. So even if you’ve purchased a sundress with the idea of wearing it in the daytime, you can glam up the rest of your outfit and wear it for the evening too.

5. Transition into Fall

Summer dresses can easily transition through to the fall, meaning you’re not buying clothes that can only be worn a couple of months of the year. Wear them with a pair of opaque black tights, some boots, and a leather jacket for a great daytime look when the weather starts cooling down a bit. Depending on the dress, accessorizing with a thin black waist belt can help to tie the look together.